Action-Planning Guide

Krista Fasoli

1 Harmony
2 Empathy
3 Discipline
4 Belief
5 Developer
Harmony
Use your Harmony talents to build a network of people with differing perspectives. Rely on these people when you need expertise. Your openness to these differing perspectives will help you learn.
When two people are arguing, ask others in the group to share their thoughts. By increasing the number of voices in the conversation, you are more likely to find areas where all parties can agree. You can draw people together.
Avoid roles that will lead you to confront people on a daily basis. Sales roles based on “cold calls” or roles in highly competitive workplaces, for example, will frustrate or upset you.
Practice your techniques for resolving conflict without confrontation. Without these polished techniques, you might find yourself simply running away from conflicts, leaving them unresolved. This could lead you to passive-aggressive behavior.
Partner with someone especially talented in Command or Activator. When all your best efforts to resolve a conflict have met with no success, this person can help you confront it head-on.
Create interactions and forums in which people feel like their opinions are truly being heard. In doing so, you will help others become more engaged in group projects and activities.
Be aware that your attempts to create harmony by allowing everyone a turn to speak might actually create disharmony in some people. Individuals with exceptional Achiever talents, for example, may be anxious to make a decision and take action. Learn to briefly yet effectively communicate the value of listening.
Understand that some may take advantage of your efforts to produce harmony. On occasion, when everyone is getting an opportunity to speak, some individuals might waste time positioning themselves or getting into lofty debates that have little relevance to the task at hand. At these times, do not hesitate to jump in and turn the conversation around to more practical matters. A balance between listening and efficiency is key to harmony.
In discussions, look for the practical side of things. Help others see this practical side. It is the starting point of agreement.
Deference comes naturally for you. You easily step aside when someone with superior expertise enters. Take the next step by inviting those with greater expertise to consult.
Empathy
Help your friends and colleagues be more aware when one of your peers is having a difficult time. Remember, most people do not have your ability to pick up on sensitive situations.
Act quickly and firmly when others behave in a way that is unhealthy for themselves or others. Understanding someone’s emotional state does not mean that you must excuse this behavior. Be aware that when your empathy turns to sympathy, others might see you as a “bleeding heart.”
Partner with someone with strong Command or Activator talents. This person will help you take needed action, even though people’s feelings might suffer as a result.
Consider serving others as a confidante or mentor. Because trust is paramount to you, people are likely to feel comfortable approaching you with any need. Your discretion and desire to be genuinely helpful will be greatly valued.
At times, your empathy for others may overwhelm you. Create some rituals that you can use at the end of your day to signal that work is over. This will help buffer your emotions and prevent burnout.
Identify a friend who has strong Empathy talents, and check your observations with him or her.
Sensitive to the feelings of others, you readily gauge the emotional tone of a room. Use your talents to forge a bridge of understanding and mutual support. Your empathy will be especially important during trying times because it will demonstrate your concern, thereby building loyalty.
Witnessing the happiness of others brings you pleasure. Consequently, you are likely to be attuned to opportunities to underscore others’ successes and positively reinforce their achievements. At each opportunity, deliver a kind word of appreciation or recognition. In doing so, you are likely to make a profound and engaging impression.
Because you are observant of how others are feeling, you are likely to intuit what is about to happen before it becomes common knowledge. Although your intuitions may at times seem nothing more than ‘hunches’, take conscious note of them. They may turn out to be valuable assets.
Sometimes empathy does not require words at all. A kind gesture may be all someone needs to be reassured. Use your Empathy talents to nonverbally comfort others with a glance, a smile, or a pat on the arm.
Discipline
Don’t hesitate to check as often as necessary to ensure that things are right. You feel an urge to do it anyway, and soon others will come to expect it from you.
Accept that mistakes might depress you. Precision is a core part of who you are; however, you must find ways to move through these moments of annoyance to prevent becoming discouraged.
Recognize that others may not be as disciplined as you are. More than likely, their clumsy process will frustrate you, so try to look beyond it, and focus on their results, not on their process.
Exactitude is your forté; you enjoy poring over details. Seek opportunities to peruse contracts, important communications, or financial documents for errors. You can save yourself and others from making costly mistakes and looking foolish.
Increasing efficiency is one of your hallmarks. You are a perfectionist at heart. Discover situations in which time or money is being wasted because of inefficiency, and create systems or procedures to improve efficiency.
You not only create order, you probably also crave it in the form of a well-organized space. To completely free your Discipline talents, invest in furniture and organization systems that enable you to have “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
Timelines motivate you. When you have a task to complete, you like to know the deadline so you can plan your schedule accordingly. Apply your Discipline talents by outlining the step-by-step plan you will use. Others will appreciate your cues because they will help keep everyone “on task.”
Others may confuse your Discipline talents with rigidity. Help them understand that your discipline helps you pack more effectiveness into a day — often because you prioritize your time. When working with others who are not as disciplined, ask them to clarify deadlines so you can adjust your workload to accommodate their requests.
Seek out roles and responsibilities that have structure.
Create routines that require you to systematically follow through. Over time, people will come to appreciate this kind of predictability.
Belief
Clarify your values by thinking about one of your best days ever. How did your values play into the satisfaction that you received on that day? How can you organize your life to repeat that day as often as possible?
Actively seek roles that fit your values. In particular, think about joining organizations that define their purpose by the contribution they make to society.
The meaning and purpose of your work will often provide direction for others. Remind people why their work is important and how it makes a difference in their lives and in the lives of others.
Your Belief talents allow you to talk to the hearts of people. Develop a “purpose statement” and communicate it to your family, friends, and coworkers. Your powerful emotional appeal can give them a motivating sense of contribution.
Create a gallery of letters and/or pictures of the people whose lives you have substantially influenced. When you are feeling down or overwhelmed, remind yourself of your value by looking at this gallery. It will energize you and revive your commitment to helping others.
Set aside time to ensure that you are balancing your work demands and your personal life. Your devotion to your career should not come at the expense of your strong commitment to your family.
Don’t be afraid to give voice to your values. This will help others know who you are and how to relate to you.
Actively cultivate friends who share your basic values. Consider your best friend. Does this person share your value system?
Partner with someone who has strong Futuristic talents. This person can energize you by painting a vivid picture of the direction in which your values will lead.
Accept that the values of other people might differ from your own. Express your beliefs without being judgmental.
Developer
Make a list of the people you have helped learn and grow. Look at the list often, and remind yourself of the effect you have had on the world.
Seek roles in which your primary responsibilities include facilitating growth. Teaching, coaching, or managing roles might prove especially satisfying for you.
Notice when others succeed, and tell them. Be specific about what you saw. Your detailed observations of what led to their victory will enhance their growth.
Identify the mentor or mentors who recognized something special inside you. Take the time to thank them for helping you develop, even if this means tracking down a former schoolteacher and sending him or her a letter.
Partner with someone with strong Individualization talents. This person can help you see where each person’s greatest talents lie. Without this help, your Developer instincts might lead you to encourage people to grow in areas in which they lack real talent.
Carefully avoid supporting someone who is consistently struggling in his or her role. In such instances, the most developmental action you can take is to encourage him or her to find a different role — a role that fits.
You will always be compelled to mentor more people than is possible. To fulfill this inner drive while maintaining a primary mentoring focus, consider the impact of being a “mentor for the moment.” Many of the most poignant and memorable developmental moments occur when the right words are delivered at the right time — words that clarify understanding, reignite a passion, open eyes to an opportunity, and change a life course.
Don’t over-invest in losing causes. Your natural inclination to see the best in people and situations can create a blind spot that will keep you from moving on to more opportune situations.
Your Developer talents might lead you to become so invested in the growth of others that you ignore your own development. Remember that you cannot give what you do not have. If you want to have a bigger impact on the well-being and growth of others, you need to keep growing yourself. Find a mentor or coach who can invest in you.
Make a list of the people you would like to help develop. Write what you would consider to be each person’s strengths. Schedule time to meet with each of them regularly — even if for only 15 minutes — and make a point of discussing their goals and their strengths.
Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.

Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. (1924-2003)

The Father of Strengths-Based Psychology and Creator of the Clifton StrengthsFinder®

The Clifton StrengthsFinder is the culmination of more than 50 years of Dr. Donald O. Clifton's lifelong work: leading millions of people around the world to discover their strengths. In 2002, Dr. Clifton was honored by an American Psychological Association Presidential Commendation as the Father of Strengths-Based Psychology.